Last Tango in Paris

Paris, France
October 1-5

For our last five days in Paris we were once again joined by friends. For years now, Shaun has been meeting up with John, Vanda, Kathy and Kevin to taste wines. They had done multiple trips to wine country in California, but they had never done anything outside of the US. When we told them about our trip, they decided to join us in France for their first ever International wine tasting trip. Paris was just the first stop. From here we will go to Lyon (considered the food capital of France) and then Avignon where the real wine tasting will happen. But first, it was time to close out our month in the City of Light. A few observations though, before we get to that.

Shaun and I are very glad that we scheduled this long stop in Paris at the beginning of the trip. Since we knew we would be here for a month, we didn't make too many real plans beyond Paris. That is a good thing. We learned so much in the first two weeks that will now play a role in our future travel plans. In those first twelve nights we did two nights in Munich, two nights in Salzburg, two nights in Luzern, three nights in Freiburg, two nights in Grindelwald and one night in Strasbourg. Our desire to see so many places meant we were constantly packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels and taking train after train. We both agreed in retrospect that we were trying to do too much. Going forward, we are going to plan differently. We want to spend at least three nights everywhere we go and even more if we can. That means we will see fewer places on the trip, but we will get to know the ones we do see better.

We also pared back our things. We mailed one box home and Kathy brought an extra bag to take some more of our things. Some of it is seasonal; we are heading into fall and the clothes we need are a little different. Some of it is just the usual realization that something you brought probably won't get much wear. Some of it is because I went shopping and now have something I am replacing with something else! Either way, it's always nice have the chance to organize and consolidate.

There are certain things we bought or brought that really made a difference for us. For me, the two best purchases were my new backpack and my hiking boots. You may remember that we did a practice pack before we left. When we did the practice pack, I realized that my backpack from 2004 was not going to work for this trip. I was having flashbacks to my sabbatical when I first came to Europe and how much that pack drove me crazy. I decided to spend the money to get a new pack and I am SOOO glad I did. The guy at REI suggested this pack to me. I was surprised because it was their least expensive backpack, but he said he had always gotten positive reviews from the women who bought it. I love it. It opens from the top and the front and it has tons of space but fits me very comfortably. It is the most essential item for a trip like this and it is an excellent piece of gear.

I feel the same way about my hiking boots. The weather on this trip has been crazy good, but the two times we were in really heavy rain, my feet stayed warm and dry the whole time. They are also rather stylish if I do say so myself! That's important because shoes are a luxury item for backpacking. They simply take up too much room, so its important for whatever you have to be somewhat versatile. These Ahnu hikers are dressy enough to wear with pants out to dinner, but tough enough to brave the elements. I'm sure I will love them even more if we see any snow in December.

My best purchases in Paris were some scarves, a pair of black pants, a long-sleeved black dress and a little pair of blue ballet flats. The pants and the dress are totally versatile, they can be topped with the scarves, a t-shirt or a sweater to make a million different outfits. The ballet flats work with both the pants and the dress and they pack away in a side pocket of my backpack. They replace some of the summery things I'm sending home this week.

My Ipad has been indispensable as well. (RIP Steve Jobs) It is light as a feather and I bought a keyboard case to complement it before we left. The case allows it to stand on its side so it is very similar to typing on a laptop. I could not have done the blogging without this keyboard. We also loaded some fabulous apps. For $9.99 I bought one called Transport Maps that has public transportation maps for many major cities in Europe. In Paris it had the Metro map, the RER map, the Bus map, a map of the Latin Quarter, The Marais and more. We would pull it up before we left the house to plan our route every morning. Other favorite apps are the New York Times Crossword Puzzles (good for entertainment on trains), Yelp for finding restaurants, Trip Advisor for finding hotels and Skype for staying in touch with my family.

Me blogging on the train while Shaun looks at silly photos we took during the week


Which brings me to the last and favorite indispensable item, my husband! Shaun is such a great travel companion. He never gets stressed out, he's totally up for adventure and best of all he carries all the heavy stuff! (Just kidding, sort of.) I love how excited he gets by an excellent meal, some great street food or a nice glass of wine. And he's either very approachable or very international looking because everywhere we go he gets asked for directions by someone in their native tongue. It happened in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. By the end of our Paris stay, he could actually understand the questions and respond in French! It was quite impressive considering the guy only did about two hours of Rosetta Stone French before we left. Granted I did make him listen to French language CD's every time we got in the car together and quizzed him regularly on common phrases he would need. "Deux Vins Rouges S'il Vous Plait" has come in very handy!

And speaking of Wine, having John, Vanda, Kathy and Kevin was a nice end to the stay in Paris. Shaun and I had lots of loose ends to tie up before we left and these guys were all fairly self sufficient. There were a few things they wanted to do, but mainly they were all happy to just go with the flow. They had an apartment in the Latin Quarter as well, about a 10 minute walk from our house. Their place was very big for Paris and it had an excellent kitchen so we decided as soon as they moved in that we would have to have at least one big dinner there.
The first day and night were classic Parisian fun! When they arrived on Saturday morning it was too early to check in at their place so they came straight to our apartment. After some coffee and croissants, they headed over to check in to their place and we made a plan to meet them in an hour or so. Shaun and I stopped at our local market, Maubert and bought all the supplies we would need for a picnic. We got figs and grapes, brie and goat cheese, french country ham (similar to prosciutto), nuts, olives, wine and a baguette. We met them at their apartment and we all walked down to the Seine where we spread out our feast and had lunch. As the afternoon grew late, we walked them back to their apartment for some quick naps before dinner.

For dinner that evening we took them to Juveniles, one of the places we had gone to with Ted and Gina. At first I thought we had made a terrible mistake. Shaun and I remembered how good the food was, but forgot that it was also somewhat of a stretch for people who aren't very adventurous eaters. Kathy and Kevin's faces seemed a bit horrified as I described the choices for dinner. There was a duck leg, a homemade sausage, a terrine of rabbit, some sort of veal kidney dish etc. Finally, we found a chicken curry on the menu and all was salvaged! Everyone enjoyed their meals and some wine and we headed back out. Our next stop was the Irish Pub right around the corner, Au Caveau Montpensieur. They had given us the original idea for Juveniles so we thought it would be nice to go back and say thanks.

Kathy and I at dinner at Juveniles.

Everyone being silly at Caveau Montpensieur

The same sweet waitresses were working that night, the one from Australia and the one from Britain. This time they gave Shaun and I tips for the UK part of our trip! We had a nice time at the Caveau and then headed off into the night. It was Nuit Blanche and we wanted to see what was happening.

Nuit Blanche literally translates to "White Night", but in this context it means "All Nighter". It started in 2001 in Paris. It takes place every year on the first Saturday in October. It's really an art event, so they have art installations all over the city. They keep many museums, the metro and some bus lines running all night for free. Even the Eiffel Tower had a special light show going for Nuit Blanche. We had no intention of staying up for the real action, which starts at midnight, but the city had already come alive when we were walking to dinner so we knew there would be some action going on now that it was 11PM.

The light show from the Eiffel Tower on Nuit Blanche








The walk back to the apartments was wild. We passed some sort of art installation that took up the entire side of a hotel. There was all sorts of equipment hooked up to the side of the building, presumably for people to rappel down or hang from the sides. We waited a few minutes with the crowd, but finally decided it probably would be starting later, so we continued on. The next thing we came across was a huge parade of drummers. They were all dressed in white, with red bandanas and they were singing and drumming and marching through the streets. As we continued walking, we passed even more things being set up for later, but our guests were beat so we headed back to get some sleep.

The crazy art installation that was set up along the side of a building

The drum parade that came through the streets


The next day we had decided we would do a house dinner at their apartment. As you know from prior blog posts, I love to cook so I volunteered to make dinner. First I needed to go to the market so I asked if anyone wanted to join me. To my surprise, everyone wanted to come to the market! Shaun and I were both glad that they would get a chance to experience what had become one of our favorite Paris experiences.

The market we went to that afternoon was right near the Bastille monument. It reminded me of the Saxe-Breteuil market, only it was bigger! They seemed to have 5 or 6 of every kind of specialty stand. There were fruits and vegetables galore, plus butchers and fish mongers, cheese stands and olive stands, bread and pastry stands. Shaun, Kathy, Kevin and John went off to find Coffees, so Vanda and I ventured into the markets by ourselves. I had already picked up a piece of lamb and some pork tenderloins the day before, so we were on the hunt for side dishes. We picked up some tomatoes and potatoes and green beans, plus some parsley and rosemary. Then we went to see a man about some squash! The huge potimarron is a akin to a pumpkin but has a slightly nutty taste. You have to have the green grocer cut you off a slice after you show him how much you want. It makes for a fun experience at the market!

That afternoon Shaun and Kevin went running, while John, Vanda and Kathy went out sightseeing. I took over their apartment for the afternoon to prepare the meal. I think having the opportunity to do this helps me to stave off homesickness. I've always found cooking to be something that brings me a sense of calm. Even when work was at its worst, I liked to come home and cook to relieve the stress. The repetition of slicing and chopping and seasoning, the sounds of things bubbling away or searing on the stove is the same here as it is at home. The degrees may be in Celcius and the stove controls may look a little different, but I can drift away the same way here as I could there.

John and Vanda at Luxembourg Gardens

So after a few hours of cooking, everyone arrived back at the apartment and we sat down for the feast. There were wonderful wines and the meal came out great, so I was pleased. We laughed and talked and enjoyed each other's company. At 10:15 that night the Patriots game was coming on and Shaun and the rest of the crew were planning to stay up and watch the game. (John had an internet feed via a service called Slingbox). I was tired from the long day of shopping and cooking, so I decided to head back to our place shortly after the game started. I fell asleep full and happy and contented by a day well spent!

Lamb and Pork Tenderloins, potatoes, squash, green beans, tomatoes with basil and some lovely wines.

Everyone sitting down to our fun group dinner.

The last few days in Paris were a blur of activity for me and for Shaun. We had a bunch of loose ends to tie up before leaving the city so we left the rest of the crew mainly to their own devices. Kathy had brought an extra bag so we needed to figure out what to send home with her. We also attempted to mail some things to John and Doug but the woman at La Poste told us it was "interdite" (forbidden) to mail the jams and mustards so we had to scrap that plan. Since we had already purchased the prepaid mailing box, we sent a bunch of clothes and a few books home instead to make Kathy's bag lighter.

The last night we decided to have a big group dinner out in Paris. We were all taking the train the next morning and we needed to be out of the apartment by 9AM, so it was important that we all got a good nights sleep. So of course, we partied like rock stars instead.

We started the evening off with dinner at Au Fil des Saisons. We had gone there earlier in the trip with John and Doug and loved the meals, the service and the prices. I was really pleased that the same waiter was working when we arrived as he had been so friendly and nice. I went over the menu with everyone, and then we asked him a few questions about the meals and the wine. It became clear by the way he was answering us that he was more than just the waiter. His name was Luic and as it turned out he had bought the place the year before. He was single-handedly running the whole place while his chef took care of the meals. I was even more impressed by how attentive he was now that we understood how much he was doing. The food, once again, was terrific so everyone was really pleased with our final dinner.

The whole group after dinner at Au fil des saisons

The ladies hanging with our new buddy Luic outside his restaurant


From there we should have all parted ways and gone to bed, but instead we ended up at the Galway pub. It must be something about last nights, because it was very similar to Ted and Gina's last night. We had loads of laughs and took a million pictures and chatted up all the people around us. We also stayed out too late and had beers we didn't need to have. Luckily we had all gotten our bags mostly packed that afternoon, because morning would come fast and it would be a rough one!

The whole crew at the Galway Pub about 9 hours ebfore we had to be up!

We should seriously lock up the camera when we go out.

Since each couple had made train arrangements for the 10:50AM train separately we decided we would all just go to the train station on our own time and meet up at the Lyon train station if we didn't see each other beforehand. Shaun and I left our apartment at exactly 9AM, after saying goodbye to Bernard, our landlord. We took a bus to the Gare de Lyon train station and had a little breakfast of Coffee and Croissants. I went to check the train schedule and as I was coming back I ran into John and Vanda. We all went to wait for the train and realized as we chatted that even though we had booked our tickets weeks apart, their seats were right next to ours! After a long morning of lugging bags through the city and the station, the four of us settled in happily for the 2 hour train ride. We were off for a quick visit to Lyon and then it would be on to Avignon.

As we started the train journey, I was thinking about how different every day was in Paris and how I would remember this part of our journey so fondly in years to come. I really feel like I've come to understand this city differently now that we have "lived" here, even if it was only for a month. We've seen the good, but also the ugly side of the city. Just like London and New York, every big city has its dark side and Paris is no exception. I chose not to write much about that because it hasn't played a big role in our visit, but it is part of being a traveler in a strange city. There are beggars and gypsies and your run of the mill drunks. There are some street corners that smell like urine and sometimes you may feel unsafe late at night. There are things you would expect, like homelessness, but even those things take a Parisian twist. In Paris for some reason, all the homeless people have dogs and sometimes more than one. In one case a homeless man even had a dog and a rabbit. So yes, Paris does have its dark side and it is not something you can overlook if you come here.

However, I will probably forget most of those things when I think back on the trip because the beautiful memories will certainly overwhelm those memories. What I'll remember most is Shaun and I going to the markets, and then coming home to cook in our kitchen. I'll remember running in Luxembourg garden and the afternoon we spent at the zoo. I'll remember quiet moments when we laid next to each other in a park and read books and those crazy nights with our visitors when we partied like it was 1999. I'll remember how unbelievably beautiful the weather was for this part of the trip and how every night the sky seemed to turn a beautiful shade of pink like some kind of Monet painting. And I will think again, as I so often do, about how fortunate we are at this moment in our lives to be taking this journey together.

Au Revoir, Paris.

Shaun and I on one of our last nights in Paris. We'll always have Paris...

Lost in Paris

Paris, France
September 25-30


Serendipity: An aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident

My Goal upon embarking on this journey to Walden Pond was to explore the woods with the intent of getting lost.
Henry David Thoreau

In the days after Ted and Gina left, Shaun and I had no plans, no agenda, just a vague idea that we wanted to enjoy Paris and its surroundings a little differently. We knew we wanted to do one day trip and we knew we wanted to see more of this amazing city so we just decided to take each day as it came and see what happened. Some of our favorite moments of the entire trip have happened when we took a "wrong turn" or made a split decision to do something different than what we had planned.

One of our favorite days like this happened a few weeks ago when we headed to the Saxe-Breteuil market around lunchtime on a Wednesday. We took the metro out to the Segur stop and walked down the street, looking forward to exploring this wonderful market. Unfortunately, the Saxe-Breteuil market is on Thursday, not Wednesday. So there we were, standing on a very empty street corner, trying to decide what to do. We thought that maybe we could get to the Monge market in time to at least get lunch, but it was a crap shoot since many of the markets close down early if the day isn't busy. We decided to chance it and walked back to take the metro in the opposite direction. As we rode the subway, I mentioned to Shaun that there was a big garden near there called the Jardin des Plantes. I vaguely remembered something about a zoo as well.

We got off the metro at the Monge stop and as we expected, most stands were closing down. We decided to just grab some samosas for lunch. These little hand made savory Indian turnovers are perfect for a grab and go lunch, and since it was late in the day, the young woman who ran the stand threw in some extras. We stopped by a little convenience store to get drinks and asked if the Jardin des Plantes was nearby. The clerk pointed us in the right direction and we walked just a few blocks before entering the beautiful gardens. Our intent was to hang out in the gardens, but when we realized the zoo was right in the middle we decided to splurge and spend the 9 Euro to check it out.

The Menagerie (zoo) was fabulous! It is one of the oldest zoos in the world, dating back to 1794 and it had everything from Kangaroos to Camels to Panthers. Even better, at least three of the animals had just had babies so we got to see a baby Yak, a baby Camel and a bunch of baby goats. As we walked through the zoo we realized that it is bordered on one side by the Jardin des Plantes, and on the other by the Seine! How surreal to be looking at a baby camel with the River right behind us. We probably spent two hours hanging out at the zoo. A happy accident indeed!

Mountain Goat chillin on his perch

Orangutan just hanging out in Paris

Yay! Baby Camel! Don't mind all the gunk on his back. I'm assuming his parents were spitting on him, because, well that's the best scenario I can come up with!


We had a similar fun day last week when we decided to go check out the Promenade Plantee. It had been really hot in Paris and we thought it would be nice to find a shady park where we could read our books and relax. The Promenade Plantee is an elevated walk that starts near the Bastille and runs about 3 miles. It used to be a railroad, but that rail line shut down in 1969 and they renovated it and put in the gardens in the 80s. Shaun was a little wary of this one. I guess it didn't sound like it would be all that interesting but it was great. You have to know how to find the entrances because its fairly well hidden, but once you get up there it's like a whole other world above the city. There were fruit trees and flowers and little bamboo forests. There were benches everywhere and folks were just sitting and reading or chatting with friends.

Shaun in one of the little Bamboo forests in the Promenade Plantee

Loved this crazy building! The promenade goes right through it!

Reuilly Park where all the locals were hanging out in the Sun. We really felt like locals that day.

We walked the Promenade until we got to the Park Reuilly which had a big green sloping lawn and lots of shady spots. We laid out our towel with everyone else and read our books all afternoon. Finally we decided to head out. I had heard there was a guy who sells really fresh oysters from a stand nearby so we tried to find him, but we had no luck. We could have just jumped on the metro then, but there was a bridge Shaun had read about online and it was nearby so we decided to go find it. Along the way we turned a corner at a stadium and saw hundreds of strangely dressed people and LOTS of photographers hanging out by the entrance. It quickly became apparent that we had stumbled on a fashion week event! We didn't really have any interest in the event, but we thought the whole scene was really bizzare and cool so we jumped up on a low wall and watched the scene unfold for a while.

Crazy fashion week event. At first we thought that was Lady Gaga, but upon closer view we changed our minds.

After that we continued our journey to the bridge, walking through Bercy Park. As we passed through the park we watched some kids doing tricks at a skateboard park and then we came upon what looked like a troupe of circus performers. One was tightrope walking between trees, one was practicing with a whip and one was juggling. Any other time I would have found that strange but by this point in the day I was ready for anything. Finally we reached the bridge. The Simone de Beauvoir footbridge is one of the newest in Paris, dating back to just 2006. It is only for pedestrians and cyclists and it is very clean and modern looking. It leads from Bercy park to the Mitterand Library and it is a fitting way to view the library, which is a series of four buildings that are all glass and were built to look like open books! All things considered, it was an absolutely amazing day. A few vague plans and few missed turns and we saw things most people will never see in Paris. We were both tired and happy by the time we got home.

The Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir with the Mitterand Library in the background

Not everything is unplanned though. One day we decided to go to the city of Reims, which is the home of Champagne. We looked up some info on tastings on Trip Advisor and chose to go to a tasting at the GH Martel Champagne company. We made our train reservations and a reservation at Martel. They could only take us for 4PM so we had the morning and afternoon to explore Reims. The big draw there is the cathedral. Construction began in 1211 and although it was badly damaged in World War I, it is still a sight to behold. The best part of the cathedral is the stained glass windows. Although some of them date back to the 1300's I was really amazed by the more contemporary windows. My two favorites were the Champagne windows (Jacques Simon, 1954) and the Marc Chagall windows from 1974. The Champagne windows were a series of three windows that showed in intricate stained glass the Champagne making process. If you looked hard enough, you could even see the names of the villages that made the wine. The Marc Chagall windows were beautiful blue ethereal windows depicting biblical stories like the story of Abraham and the resurrection of Christ. I wish the pictures could do the windows justice but its hard to capture that kind of beauty.

The Champagne Windows.

The Marc Chagall Windows. So beautiful and ghostly.

After touring the cathedral we walked around Reims for a while. The city was founded by the Gauls in 80 BC and was under Roman control as of around 20 BC. There are still some old Roman Ruins around the city so its great fun to walk around and explore. We checked out the sights and then walked around looking for something to eat for lunch.

After a quick sandwich in a park, we were ready for our Champagne tour. For just 10 Euro we took a really cool tour of the Martel Champagne cellars. The cellars under Reims were originally limestone and chalk mines that were created by the Romans and were co-opted hundreds of years later to house Champagne by the local vineyards. The Martel tour took us way down below the city to their old cellars to show us the process of making Champagne and the history of how it has changed over the years. That was followed by a tasting of three of their champagnes. It was a lovely way to end our day in Reims!

Shaun in the Champagne Cellar in Reims

The old school Champagne making equipment







Another day we ventured outside Paris to the Bois de Vincennes. This is a huge park on the outskirts of Paris with miles and miles of trails for running, walking and biking, similar to the Bois de Boulogne. We rented bikes using the Paris Velib system. Velib is a bike rental program run by the city. For just 1.70 you can rent a bike for a day and as long as you return it within 30 minutes there are no other charges. Even if you take it for longer it is very reasonable. We picked up our bikes at one end of the park and rode for two hours along the paths and trails. We stopped a few times to check out the scenery and eventually came out at the other end of the park where we just dropped off our bikes at another Velib stop and headed home.

Shaun picking up a bike at one of the many Velib Stations in Paris

There are loads of things to see in Paris, but one of my personal favorite days was the day I got my hair cut. It was one of those days when Shaun and I had separated to do different things. I was headed up to read in at the Luxembourg gardens when I passed a hair salon with one woman stylist who was unoccupied. I had been thinking about doing this for weeks, so I had researched a few words that I might need, but I had no intention of doing it that day until I passed the salon. I went in and asked in French if she could cut my hair right now. She said yes and started to ask what I wanted. She spoke no English so I was glad I could remember some of the words I had looked up. We did a good job of communicating with each other and I was really pleased with the cut. When I got home later that day, Shaun started to say something and then stopped mid-sentence. "Did you get your Hair Cut???" he said incredulously. It was a very proud moment for me.

So if I had to sum up todays post, I would say its about Serendipity. It's about opening yourself up to possibilities by just letting things unfold. If you're in a new city and you take a wrong turn, don't go back, just see where that wrong turn leads you. If you get a sudden urge to do something that is a little outside your comfort zone, do it! You will probably end up glad you did. It may seem silly to you, but I know that I will always be a little bit proud of myself when someday years from now I can say, "One day I was walking to a park in Paris and I just decided out of the blue that I was going to get my hair cut. So I did."

Shaun and I getting a drink at a place called La Cremerie. I had just gotten my haircut.

Ted and Gina's Excellent Adventure

Paris France
September 20-25

After two and a half weeks in Paris, Shaun and I had really gotten to know the city well and we felt like we were really living like Parisians. (Well, Parisians who don't have jobs!) We had explored the outdoor markets, the parks and the festivals. We had shopped in the grocery stores and of course, the wine stores. We had gone to the cinema and the bakeries and the museums. And we had walked. And walked. And walked.

We ate mostly street food for lunch and for entertainment we kept to things that were either free or very low cost. In a city like this, with so much to see and do, it didn't even feel like a sacrifice. We knew the time to splurge would come and we wanted to save for that time. Well last weekend the time was finally at hand! We were having visitors who had never been to Paris before and we wanted to really show them the city. Ted and Gina were arriving on Thursday for what would become a whirlwind three day visit that would test our stamina for exploring... and our livers.

First, a bit about Gina and Ted. Ted, Gina and I all went to college together in the early 90s at a small Catholic college in Vermont. I met Gina freshman year and we have been the best of friends ever since. Ted and I became friends sophomore year while Gina was abroad in London and when she came back and met Ted it was obvious that they were both smitten with each other. They dated during college, but broke up for a while in the early years after college. In the meantime, I had met Shaun at work after college and we had become great friends (with an underlying current of love). Ted met Shaun through me and they eventually became roommates in Cambridge. One weekend Gina made a last minute trip to visit me. I was already planning to meet up with friends from college, including Ted, so Gina came along. There is much debate as to whether I forewarned Ted about this, but either way it worked out for the best. They married a few years later and now have three beautiful kids.

In the meantime, Shaun had moved to Waltham. He was newly single and living in a house by himself. We still saw each other quite frequently, but just as friends. Ted was the one who suggested we should become roommates. I moved in in January of 2003 and it was on one of our European adventures three years later that everything changed for us. We married in 2007. Gina was the "best woman" at my wedding and I was the same at hers. We've vacationed together many times, but usually much closer to home! So needless to say, we were really excited to have them join us in Paris.

The visit started out innocuously enough. They arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport at around 11am on Thursday. The plan was to take the RER train from the airport into the city and switch to the metro to get to their hotel. I was impressed with their sense of adventure already. I gave them all the info we could think of about what they would need to do, including how to order their tickets into Paris and a Carnet of 10 tickets for later metro rides. Then we waited to hear from them. It seemed to be taking a long time and I was hoping they weren't having a misadventure, but it turned out the French bureaucracy was to blame. Apparently there was only one guy at customs and immigration and he decided it was time for a break while they were trying to get through! After that mess, getting into Paris was easy!

Ted and Gina upon arrival in Paris at the Saint Michel Fountain


After checking into their hotel, they came to meet us and we were off to get lunch. They were both starving so we decided to go somewhere local. Our area is pretty touristy but we found a place that had things on the menu for everyone's taste and settled in for our meals. We had a glass of wine with lunch just to "take the edge off" and then headed down the street to show them the Seine. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so there were people everywhere on the river. Some were just hanging out reading, others were in groups, usually with a bottle of wine and some food. A classic Parisian experience. Next we took them over to see Notre Dame but the line to go in was outrageous so they just took some pictures and walked around the area. It didn't matter anyway because we had other places to be! It was Gina's birthday so they had booked a champagne tasting cruise on the Seine for all four of us!

The cruise was really fun. We took the metro out to the Eiffel Tower where the boat set sail. We got on first and picked some seats up by the front of the boat. The tasting consisted of three different types of Champagne, a dry (Brut), a semi dry (semi Brut) and a rose. The champagnes were nice, but the cruise was the draw. We went from one end of the city to the other at that perfect time of day when the sun is just starting to set. You know what would have been great? If I had remembered to take some photos of that? Oops, but don't worry there are plenty more.

We thought that Ted and Gina would have been too tired after such a long day, but they were good to go so we headed off to find dinner. There is a bar over by the Louvre called Willi's Wine bar which was our intended destination, but we got completely sidetracked and as always, it worked out great. On our way to find Willi's we passed by a really cool pub that Shaun and I had gone to a few years ago called Au Caveau Montpensier. It's a really neat cellar bar in the 1st with an Irish owner. We got to talking to them over beers and mentioned that we were headed to Willi's wine bar at which point he suggested another place. He said it was small but far less touristy than Willi's with better food. When we said we liked that idea, they called over and made a reservation for us. The place was called Juveniles. Perfect for us.

We got to Juveniles and the place was packed. It only seated maybe 40 people at best, mainly because there were crates of wine all along the walls. It was a wine shop/restaurant, a very popular trend in Paris. I told the waiter we had called and made a reservation and he let us know that the table would be a few minutes but motioned for us to head inside to the back of the restaurant. First off, let me say, I thought that was a little strange considering the fact that it was so packed. But they said to go back, so we did and we were happy we did. They poured us glasses of champagne for the trouble of waiting, which we probably didn't need but gladly accepted! Then it was on to eating and we were famished! Dinner was excellent. We started with a salad with quail and squash soup for the entrees and then Duck for Ted and I, and Veal for Shaun and Gina. By the time dinner was over, everyone was beat so Shaun and I headed home on foot, while Ted and Gina got a cab back to their place in the 14th. We made a plan to meet in the morning at the Eiffel tower.

Shaun took this picture on our walk home from dinner. It is outside the Louvre at night with the floodlight from the Eiffel tower in the background

The next morning we all got back together, refreshed and ready to see the town. Even though we got to the Eiffel Tower ten minutes after it opened, the line was long. Luckily, it didn't take very long to go through. I had already decided the second floor was good enough for me, so Shaun, Ted and Gina headed to the top, while I stayed on the Second Level. I ordered a coffee and a pastry from the cafe inside and chilled out over the top of the city while I waited for them to come down.

The general plan we had made only really involved doing about 5 things, but man did we blow that plan out of the water. After telling them about a few of our favorite places in Paris, we ended up getting a two day museum pass and giving that thing a work-out!! From the Eiffel tower we went to the Arch de Triomphe, where we climbed the 284 steps that take you to the top. The views from the top are totally worth it. By that time we were starving so it was Mussels and Fries on the Champs Elysees for lunch. Then it was off to Invalides to see Napoleon's tomb and then to the Rodin Museum to see the Thinker and the Kiss. We had the pass so we were able to skip the lines and walk right in, which saved us boatloads of time. When we finished up at the Rodin Museum we needed to relax a bit so we went to the cafe and ordered some wine and a dessert. By now it was about 4pm so I kept checking to make sure our guests weren't getting too tired. They were in good shape.

Ted and Gina at the top of the Arch de Triomphe

My favorite picture from the visit. That is Ted doing his very best imitation of a French Guy while we ate Mussels and Fries


We decided that a late afternoon trip to the Louvre would be the last touristy thing for the day. The lines die down after 5pm or so we had to kill some time. What better way than an impromptu picnic by the Seine!? We picked up a bottle of red, a baguette and some cups and made our way down to the river. As I mentioned before, the weather was absolutely beautiful so it was perfect for picnicking.

Ted and Shaun in the shade. Is it just me or do they look a little sketchy?

Just a couple of BFFs hanging out on a beautiful day!

With our bellies full of bread and wine, it was time to tackle the Louvre. If you are only going to be in Paris for three days, you need to go into this with a plan and for us that plan was called Denon! For most people, everything you want to see on a whirlwind Louvre tour will be in Denon. The Mona Lisa, Winged Victory and the Venus de Milo are all in the Denon wing. The hilarious thing is that so many people come to the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa that there are now signs at practically every intersection pointing you in the direction of La Giaconda (her Italian name). I've been to see her a few times over the years and this was the best viewing yet. Normally you have to stand behind 50 people and jump up and down to see her, but at the end of the day it was nice and quiet. We even got a few up close and personal shots!

Hanging out with La Giaconda

Winged Victory- one of my favorites

Everybody always takes pictures of the Venus de Milo from the front. I decided to be different! Did you know she had Le Plumbers Butt?


After the Louvre, we made the terrible decision to walk to the Pompidou Center. It was just too late in the day, we had walked for miles and everyone was tired and hungry. To add insult to injury the restaurant at the top was only allowing diners to sit outside. We were just there for a pre-dinner drink (see what I mean about my liver?) so we took some photos and left. We needed a new plan.

The bar may have been closed but the sunset was incredible regardless.

Luck was on our side again. Our sweet landlord, Bernard, had left an old Frommers guidebook in the hotel and we had taken it with us. One of the restaurants listed was nearby, a place called Le Felteu. The description pretty much said "it ain't pretty to look at but the food is good" so we knew what we were getting into. Sort of. When we arrived there was a burly older gentleman with tattoos all over his arms was behind the bar. When I told him we wanted dinner for 4 he escorted us into a fairly dingy dining room. He brought us the chalkboard menu and left us to make our choices. When he came back to take our order he started with me. I ordered a salad and tried to order my main plate but "NON!", that was not to be done. He wanted all the entrees (apps) first. A few times we strayed from this by asking for something (water, wine etc) before he was ready but he put us back in our places "NON!". And by the way, he was sitting down next to us the whole time, which is the second time I've seen that.

Once the regimented ordering was done, it was time for the food. It was excellent. The guidebook was right, not much to look at but delicious food. And we all noticed that the place filled up with locals as the night wore on, always a good sign. I ordered Lamb and the others all ordered duck confit, which is a duck leg cooked for hours in fat and one of the greatest food items in the world if you don't mind me saying! The best though was the side dish. Along with your vegetables and a little thing of mashed potatoes, they served us two casserole dishes of some sort of potato gratin, which was hot and bubbly and delicious. We washed it all down with the house Bordeaux and some homey desserts like Tarte Tatin, a baked apple dish that was fabulous.

You might think at that point we were tired of all the sightseeing and drinks and food, but NON! You would be wrong. It was off to bed for the night to get ready for Versailles in the morning and a very long afternoon and evening of celebrating Gina and Ted's last night in Paris.

The next morning Shaun and I were about to leave the apartment when we called Gina and Ted's hotel to make sure they were leaving as well. When Ted answered it was obvious that I was waking him up, so we got a bit of a late start on Versailles. We took the RER train out of the city and arrived at Versailles mid-morning. Like the Eiffel Tower, the line was long but went quickly. We toured the castle and took a cursory look at the grounds but decided not to pay the extra to tour the gardens as this was their last day and we wanted to spend it in Paris.

Gina walking through the Hall of Mirrors in te Versaille Palace. The castle is beautiful but it was crazy crowded inside and we all felt a bit like cattle. Very wealthy cattle.

Ted and Gina outside the Palace

Shaun and I outside the Palace from the opposite side

When we arrived back in Paris, we walked over to Rue de Buci where we picked up things for lunch at the apartment. First and foremost was a chicken, which I went to get. Shaun went to get wine and for some reason thought sending Gina and Ted to the charcuterie was a good idea. After they got yelled at for touching the goat cheese they came and found me. I explained that in a shop like this, you have to tell them what you want and they will get it for you. (I also explained that that was the last place Shaun should have sent them alone!) We picked up some cheese and prosciutto with no yelling and headed back to the apartment for lunch. Chicken, olives, figs with proscitto and goat cheese, and of course, bread and wine. Yum.

After having our fill of food and wine we headed out for the last thing on Ted and Gina's list, the catacombs. In the 18th century, the graveyards of Paris had become so overcrowded that they decided to empty them all out and put the bones, neatly stacked, under the city. It is estimated that there are the remains of 6 MILLION Parisians under the city. Don't believe me? Look it up. Anyway, I would love to tell you how creepy it was but like many Parisian things seem to do, they closed early.

So what were we to do? A library perhaps? A classical music show? One of the magnificent cathedrals? Or how about an Australian Pub for beers? Of course, that was the option we chose! It was quite fun. The waitress was Australian and had tips for Shaun and I for our journey. (We get a lot of that, which is great). So we had our beers and bemoaned the fact that we couldn't see dead people and headed to our respective places to shower up for dinner.

Beers at the Australian bar near the catacombs

Dinner that night was at a place called Pre Verre. It gets great reviews everywhere but it wasn't my favorite meal of the trip. Part of it was what I ordered. It was suckling pig, but it was served in some sort of cream sauce and it was braised, so there was no crispy skin. (Why get pork if there's no crispy skin?) Gina got the same thing as me and although she didn't say it, I think she was in agreement. After dinner we were thinking the night was coming to an end (it wasn't) and that we needed just a little more wine (we didn't) so I asked if we could buy a bottle from Pre Verre. The owner didn't seem to want to, but our waiter took matters into his own hands and sold us a bottle for 15 euro. We took our bottle and the cups we had bought the day before and headed down to the Seine.

Just some friends quietly having drinks by the Seine. Riggghhhhttt.


I think I'll just end the post that way. I'll leave you with the lovely idea of Ted, Gina, Shaun and I having some wine down by the water in the moonlight. You don't need to know that we were probably way too loud and silly. And you don't need to know that we later visited an Irish pub for beers. Or that I woke up vowing to forsake alcohol forever and considering elective surgery to have my liver removed. Just imagine four great friends having a quiet glass of red wine along the Seine in the moonlight. Au Revoir Ted and Gina!

Saving and Splurging in the City of Light

Paris, France
September 14-18

The last five days have been so much fun! As you know, John and Doug joined us on the 11th for a short visit. (You may also remember John from such incidents as the famous Salzburg "Ein Bahn" incident) They have both been to Paris numerous times, so they have already seen most of the major sites and visited many of the museums. It was time to test the theory that you can do Paris on a budget!

As with any big city, food will often make or break you. Shaun and I have the great fortune of having an apartment with an excellent kitchen. We decided early on to do breakfast most days in the apartment. We make coffee and eggs, with fruit and bread or pastry. Having a good base is important because we are probably walking at least five miles every day. We always get another coffee later in the day at a Cafe and that is our splurge.

Lunches are another great money saver. There's a million ways to get a decent, cheap lunch in Paris. First, there are the sandwiches. Ham, Chicken or Cheese on a freshly baked baguette is always a winner. Shaun and I have done sandwiches and drinks for less than 10 euro total for both of us. If we want a sit-down lunch, Japanese can't be beat. Almost every Japanese restaurant has a Lunch "formule" that consists of Miso Soup, a small salad, 6 sushi rolls, plus ravioli or brochettes and white rice for less than 10 euro per person. That will really fill you up for the afternoon. Another great option is the middle-eastern take-out places. As de Falafel is the most famous one in Paris. I prefer the falafel (seasoned fried chickpea sandwiches) but Shaun loves the Gyros made with shaved lamb. As with many things in Paris, ordering it "a emporter" (to-go) is always cheaper than sitting down inside.

Lunch at L'As de Falafel with the boys. Fun with Gyros!!


Between the markets and the great kitchen, I've had a blast cooking dinners over here. We usually start with a general idea (fish, meat, chicken) and then decide on what to make based on what we find at the market. There's always something on Promotion, as they call it. The lamb shoulder we had last week was one of those, as was the monkfish. I also love slow-cooked sauces and they are great because I can make a big batch and freeze half for another night. We've had Bolognese Sauce twice and a yummy Duck Ragu. With a salad, some crusty bread and wine, that's a lovely dinner. Sometimes we don't even need to cook. One night we bought a whole roast chicken with potatoes from a vendor on Rue de Buci. It came to less than 16 euro and fed all four of us easily. If we have dinner in, we can afford to have a drink and maybe a dessert out later.

Gratuitous food pics. This is the Pasta Bolognese, second time around

The ridiculously good roasted chicken from the guy with the red awning just off Rue de Buci. I tell you that because you need to get one of these if you ever come here.

But you can't come to Paris without having some great dinners out, so we had a fabulous splurge night this week as well. The restaurant was called Au Fil des Saisons. It was in a great little book I had brought with me called "Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris". She mentioned that it was a little off the beaten path, but we had no idea how hard it was to find. We had almost given up when Shaun ran ahead and checked down one more little alleyway. Thank goodness he found it!

The restaurant is really cute, but it was the food and the service we really enjoyed! Yep, we are in Paris and the waiter was super friendly and sweet. When we arrived at the restaurant we sat down and he brought over the blackboard. This is very common in Paris, especially at the smaller restaurants. Instead of a printed menu, there is a blackboard that lists your choices for the night. Now, my french is conversational, but as I found out last time I came to Paris, no one teaches you the words for specialty food dishes! (You don't want to guess either unless your idea of gourmet involves Veal Brains or Lamb Testicles!) You can't find these words/phrases in most normal phrase books either, so I brought along a great little food guide from Patricia Wells. It's just a list of food terms that you would find on a menu. So when the waiter asked us if we spoke French, we said "oui" and he left us with the blackboard...for about a minute. When he saw me looking up words in this little packet of papers, he asked in English what I was looking at. I told him it was like a dictionary for French food, which apparently intrigued him. Next thing I knew, he had pulled up a chair and was looking it over with me! He was impressed that the things we were looking up were in the little guide, but must have thought that was too much work, so he just went over all the items in English. The most difficult part of the evening was choosing from that menu, it all sounded so delicious!

We picked one entree to share (don't forget that means Starter in France) which was a completely decadent ravioli in a four cheese sauce, served piping hot in a little yellow pot. For meals, John and I both got the Onglet of Boeuf. It was like a flank steak, but better, much more tender. Doug got a shrimp risotto and Shaun got the 7 hour duck confit. Everything was ridiculously good, including the side dishes. We were talking about how that is a sign of a really good restaurant--when they take as much care with the sides as they do with the main courses.

Not a great photo but the food was so good I just had to put it on here!

Our waiter came and sat with us again before dessert. He was either very tired or found us very charming- I prefer to believe the latter! He asked where we were from and when Shaun and I said Boston, he told us that he had just returned from a year working at the Boston Harbor Hotel! Small world, once again. When it came time to order dessert, nobody wanted to miss out, so instead of ordering one or two things and sharing, everyone ordered their own. A Chocolate Profiterole for me, Individual chocolate cakes with a hot caramel center for both Shaun and Doug. You would think that would be the winner, but nope. John ordered a cheesecake with some sort of fresh raspberry and rhubarb center. It was just out of this world. We did try to save a little by ordering the house wine, but other than that it was a true splurge night and well worth every cent. There's nothing more disappointing than splurging on mediocre food. Fortunately for us there was nothing mediocre about Au Fil des Saisons.

But once again, I'm talking all about food when there has been so much more going on! Our great experiment with Paris on the cheap continued this week with what I will call "Eileen's Best Kept Secrets of Paris". (I can call it that because it's my Blog!!) As I've mentioned in earlier posts, there is no charge to walk along the Seine or to sit in the Luxembourg gardens. You can wander through the Tuileries and up to Sacre Couer all you want without paying a cent. But sometimes, with just a few Euro, you can see so much more. A perfect example is the Rodin Museum.

The Rodin Museum is one of the smaller museums in Paris, but well worth a visit. I actually prefer the smaller museums to places like the Louvre because you really get a feel for the artist. Auguste Rodin was a french sculptor in the 1800's who, like many great artists, has come to be better appreciated in the many years since his death. The museum itself has many of his works inside, including one of my favorite sculptures, called "The Kiss". If you have never seen it, it is worth the price of admission to the museum. However, if you want one of the best bargains in Paris, just buy the ticket to tour the gardens for 1 Euro!

In the gardens at the Rodin Musem

On this morning, we were joined by John and Doug's friend Darrel, a Canadian expat who has been living in Paris for a few years. John and Doug hadn't seen Darrel in a long time, so first we went to the Cafe where we had coffee and talked to Darrel about his experiences living in Paris. It was very interesting to hear his persepctive. Then five of us strolled the grounds where you can see some of Rodin's most famous works, like The Burghers of Calais, the Gates of Hell and everybody's favorite, The Thinker.

Oh yeah? I dare you to NOT take this photo when you come here. I've been three times now and I have three pics like this. Maybe someday I'll do my own retrosepctive.








The grounds are gorgeous. The sculptures are scattered throughout and the small cafe sells coffee, desserts and even hot food so you can stay all day if you like. There are fountains and beautiful gardens and if you know where to look, there are even lounge chairs for relaxing. I know this because the last time Shaun and I were in Paris we literally took a nap in the lounge chairs at the back of the gardens. I now refer to the Rodin Museum as my favorite napping spot in Paris!!

Another fabulous deal is the top of the Pompidou Center. The Pompidou is the Modern Art Museum in Paris and it is housed in a crazy building where all the pipes are on the outside. Its a bit of an eyesore in my opinion, but it houses another excellent deal. For 3 Euro, you can go to the top of the Pompidou where there are the most spectacular views of Paris. (This is new, you used to have to pay full fare to visit the top!) There is a fabulously expensive restaurant up there called Georges, which I am convinced is run by supermodels since they all have legs up to their ears and skirts that barely cover their butts. (I'm sure that's not why Shaun likes it so much though!) Even if you can't afford to eat at Georges though, it is worth the money to order a glass of wine and sit and enjoy the views for an hour, which is exactly what we did. Of course, if you like Modern Art, you can pay the full fare and enjoy the paint splashes and "Still life with Toilet Seat" (I made that up, but who knows, it may be real) and whatever other crazy new exhibits they have going on.

On the way up the escalator. Doug looks suspicious. Maybe he thinks we're going to trick him into looking at some Modern Art!!

Shaun and I at Georges at the top of the Pompidou. All we can afford is wine, but really, what else could you want?

The view from the top of the Pompidou.


Fabulous Deal number three is festivals, festivals, festivals!! There seems to always be some sort of festival going on here and when they do a festival there is no shortage of food or wine tasting! Since we have been here, Shaun and I have attended a Spanish food festival, a festival of biking and a REALLY fun festival celebrating the food and wine of South-West France, an area called the Garonne. Actually we attended this one twice it was so much fun! The first time we were with John and Doug. John and I spent a little time wandering the festival, but it was so crowded that day we ended up going across the Seine to a park behind Notre Dame to read after a little while. Shaun and Doug meanwhile, went wine tasting up and down the rows. Un Gout (a taste) is free and I have a feeling they both had enough Gouts to fill a few glasses that day. After filling up on those delicious wines, we all sat on the benches in the park to read for a while. Just lovely.

The festival was right along the river

John and Doug reading in the park

And what could be more exciting than a picture of people reading in a park? TWO pictures of people reading in a park!!


Our second visit to that Festival came on Sunday for Shaun and I. It was one of my favorite days here because everything we did was so completely different. We started that day with the intention of rollerblading. Paris has two huge rollerblading events every week in the good weather months. The first is Pari Roller, which takes place on Friday nights. This is one I will probably never attempt. It starts at 10PM (around my bedtime) it goes for 3 hours (way exceeding my exercise limit) and it is FAST. I'm quite sure I would make it about 2 minutes before getting rolled into one of those pancakes like you see in the cartoons. The other event is Rollers and Coquillages which takes place on Sunday at a more leisurely rate. This one is for less advanced rollerbladers. We weren't sure whether we wanted to do the group ride, but we knew we wanted to go roller blading so we headed out to the rental place at Bastille to decide.

On the advice of John and Doug, we arrived just when they opened at noon. We rented our skates and walked down toward the Seine. (We needed to pick up lunch and felt that the cafe owners wouldn't appreciate the skates!) We grabbed two sandwiches and waters and walked down to the Pont Marie (Marie Bridge). I would have been content had we just eaten that picnic lunch by the river, but there was blading to do so off we went!! Every Sunday the city shuts down long stretches of road by the river for the bikers, runners, walkers and rollerbladers to enjoy. After some initial problems with my skates (rentals are never great quality) we were off!! I won't bore you with all the details but let me just say, rollerblading in and out of the tunnels was totally cool!! We both had a great time, but after an hour or so we decided we didn't really want to follow that up with the 3 hour city ride. Maybe next week.

Lunch along the Seine, nothing but crappy scenery around here...

That blur is Shaun blading through the tunnel at warp speed. Lets just say I'm not as fast.

See, no blinding flash as I rollerblade. Oh well, we will definitely do this again. It was loads of fun.

After that we headed back to the festival. We sampled wine and bought a little cheese plate and a fabulous dessert made with pears, dark chocolate and light as air phyllo. All I can tell you is that my fingers were soaked in butter from that dessert. Mmm...butter.

I think Shaun may actually have been saying Mmmmm....Butter








We picked up a few bottles of wine (a bargain at 6 euro) and headed back to the house to put them away. For dinner that night I made a chicken piccata with pasta and steamed broccoli which we ate pretty early because it was movie night! All over Paris there are little movie theaters. Many of them show American films in what they call VO (Version Originale which means the movie is shown in English and there are French subtitles for the locals. Shaun thought it would be interesting to watch Midnight in Paris while we were in Paris, and it was. It was totally surreal to watch a movie about a guy who loves walking in the rain in Paris and then come out and walk in the rain in Paris!! The other great thing about these little theaters is that the movies are usually second run, so the price is right!

After that, we walked around the city for a little while, but we had a destination in mind. It was Sunday night and the Patriots were the 4:00 game (EDT) so at 10PM we arrived at "the Great Canadian", a pub right down the street from us that shows all the NFL games on Sunday. Maybe it isn't a very Parisian thing to do but we had a great time watching the game with the 50 or so other NFL fans who had converged on the Great Canadian that evening.

So that is Paris on a budget! John and Doug were the perfect people to experiment with. They had done most of the touristy stuff, so they really enjoyed doing the markets and festivals and dinners at home. We really enjoyed their company as well! It was fun to add someone else's perspective to the planning and wandering. And as much as Shaun and I love each other's company, it is always fun to have "special guest stars"!

And speaking of special guest stars, our friends Ted and Gina will arrive on Thursday for a quick three day visit. (You may remember Gina from such events as "Best Woman at my Wedding"). We need to start resting up! These are two of my favorite people in the world and Ted has never been to Paris. Gina has been, but only on business so we want to really show them the city. There will be lots on the agenda and lots of wine I'm sure so Au Revoir for now! I'll be back in touch later this week!

Farewell from one of the Burghers of Calais!! He happened to be on a death march, but he was later saved so don't feel TOO bad!